That's just because Putin has been in power for long enough that he no longer needs the support of oligarchs. He came to power with their help and his relations

That's just because Putin has been in power for long enough that he no longer needs the support of oligarchs. He came to power with their help and his relationship with them was initially transactional. Now he and his cronies no longer depend on them, so they either fall into line or fall out of favor and thus out of windows. What you're describing is the first step, where the wealthy attempt to install a ruler friendly to their interests, someone they think they can control and reason with. Joke's on them -- and on everybody else, too, unfortunately. Edit: this led me to realize that the advanced age of Fake Tan President is a saving grace. He simply won't live long enough to implement the kind of system Putin has been able to solidify over the past twenty or thirty years. And I'm not aware of anybody in the GOP who can replace him in the cult of personality that a stable dictatorship generally requires.